Philippians 1:3-6

On Sunday, Pastor Chad Melton explored Philippians 1:3-6 by challenging us to look back on the year through "the lens of grace." Pastor Chad opened by showing personal snapshots from his family's yearbooks—snow days in Houston, baseball championships, and Lillee starting high school—explaining that "the way we look back really matters. Because reflection gives us perspective." He walked through how Paul's entire reflection on the Philippians flows from one controlling verb: "I thank"—showing that gratitude is the engine driving everything else. Pastor Chad taught that Paul remembered a "grace-built church" rather than a perfect church, asking us: "When you look back on your year, are you watching the film like a critic—or like a coach who believes God is still working?" He explained that Paul's joy came not from perfection but from "participation"—koinōnia—active partnership in the gospel "from the first day until now." Pastor Chad concluded with Paul's confidence in verse 6: "He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus," reminding us that "God doesn't start things and then walk away."

1. Pastor Chad shared that his family keeps yearbooks and his kids love flipping through old photos and telling stories. What's one memory from this past year that brings you unexpected joy when you think about it now?
2.Read Philippians 1:3-4 together. Pastor Chad explained that Paul's remembering wasn't neutral—"His memories are filtered through grace." When you look back on this past year, do you tend to replay frustrations or recognize where God showed up? What would it look like to intentionally remember through the lens of grace this week?
3.Read Acts 16:13-15, 25-34. Pastor Chad traced the Philippian church's origins to Lydia, the slave girl, and the jailer—each with different brokenness but "one common denominator: God stepped in." How does remembering that your story began with God's intervention rather than your own effort change how you view your spiritual growth over this past year?
4.Read Philippians 1:5. Pastor Chad explained that "participation" (koinōnia) means more than friendship—it's "active partnership, a shared mission, a sense of 'We're in this together.'" Where have you experienced meaningful participation in the gospel this year—serving, giving, encouraging, praying—and how did that involvement bring you joy?
5.Read Philippians 1:6. Pastor Chad emphasized that Paul's confidence isn't in the Philippians but in God: "If God started it, Paul says, God will finish it." What unfinished areas of your life are you tempted to see as failures rather than "works in progress"? How does Paul's confidence reshape your perspective on those areas?
6.Pastor Chad asked a powerful question: "Are you watching the film like a critic—or like a coach who believes God is still working?" Share about a time when harsh self-criticism or criticism of others kept you from seeing evidence of God's grace at work.
7.Read Philippians 1:3-6 together one more time. Pastor Chad closed by inviting us to "look back and recognize grace" and "look forward with participation." What is one specific way you sense God calling you to participate in the gospel—through worship, community, serving, equipping, or sharing—in this coming year?

Look up and read these passages about gratitude, God's faithfulness, and confidence in His ongoing work:
Psalm 103:1-5 - "Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle."
Lamentations 3:21-23 - "This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 - "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass."
Hebrews 12:1-2 - "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

What common threads do you see in these passages about intentional remembrance, God's faithful character, and confidence that He will complete what He started? How do these texts reinforce Pastor Chad's encouragement to look back through the lens of grace and forward with confidence in God's ongoing work?